Dr Garrett McGovern writes that there are far superior outcomes for heroin users treated with opioid agonists compared to detoxification.Much has been written in the media recently, particularly in the UK, but also in IMT, regarding the role of long-term methadone treatment for heroin addiction. It has been proposed by both academics and politicians that methadone treatment should be time-limited.

Prof Neil McKeganey, Director of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University, has been vitriolic in his criticism of methadone and believes that the drug should be used for no longer than two years. He would appear to have the backing of the British government. Prime Minister David Cameron stated recently that he does not endorse methadone as a long-term treatment, claiming “it does not deal with the problem” of drug misuse.